The Art of Retraining: How To Get Your Existing Volunteers On Board
This post is my actual response to a question from a pastor about how he can use TrainedUp to train existing volunteers on new policies.
Hi Zach, this is Scott. I built TrainedUp while I was an Executive Pastor and needed to REtrain a bunch of existing volunteers on new policies. Getting them to use the tool was tough (because getting anyone to change anything is tough), but eventually I found a way to get it done.
Basically, I moved all training and important info to TrainedUp. Emails/texts became only a way to let people know that a new announcement or change in schedule or procedure was available in TrainedUp. Since you can create modules that don’t have videos attached (essentially, just a text module), I could use TU as a tool for more than only training. Once the vols realized they were out of the loop if they didn’t use TrainedUp, they started signing on whenever there was an announcement.
I definitely didn’t want to EXCLUDE or DISQUALIFY people from serving if they didn’t log into TrainedUp, but I did want them to feel that FOMO feeling like they were out of the loop. It helped a ton.
Also, depending on how big your volunteer ranks are, you may be able to help people individually to log in right on their phone while they’re standing there with you on a Sunday morning asking why they didn’t know that you changed the dress code for greeters…(for example).
Bottom line, I had to be super consistent with using TU and also make it the only way that people were going to get info about serving, both for newbies and for long-term vols.
Hope that helps! Please reach out if you need anything.
Getting people to make use of online training, whether it’s TrainedUp or some other tool, is not much different than getting people to change in any other way. Helping people experience change is a big part of ministry leadership. Sometimes that change is learning to walk in grace toward people who are different than them. Other times that change means logging into an online tool to learn!
Give TrainedUp a try for free for 2 weeks to see if it works for you. Start your free trial here.
Train church volunteers and disciples online, easy.
Use our simple on-demand video training courses to equip volunteers, develop leaders, and teach disciples. Create your own training or use our video library. Our training automation platform makes it simple and fast to get your people ready for ministry.
Other Posts You May Like
All Growth Begins with Self-Awareness
My first year on the YouVersion Bible App team was exciting and challenging. I joined the team to help with partnerships and community-building. Like any new job, the first year came with a learning curve and the need to pick up new skills. I had never been part of a technology team before, so I…
Is Your Leadership Style Helping or Hurting You?
Your leadership style — how you make decisions, connect with and influence others, delegate, handle conflict, cast vision — is shaped by many factors. Your family history and work experience, along with your personality and internal wiring, impact how you think about and “do” leadership today. Leaders we have worked with, for better or worse,…
A Church Is Only As Healthy As Its Team
When you joined the team at your church, what kind of training did you get in the first weeks? Did you have an HR meeting to cover the health insurance and retirement accounts? Did you cover how to submit an expense report or reserve a room on the master calendar? How about how to handle…